[DISCONTINUED] 𝗙𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 | 𝗫𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗜 𝗬𝗔𝗢 | 𝗪𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗦

chapter 5 ༻ ¨*:·

·:*¨ ༺ ♱✮♱ ༻ ¨*:·

The car hummed softly as they drove through the streets, the weight of the all of last nights events pressing down on Y/N's chest. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but this wasn't it. Xiangli's charm at dinner, the way he'd effortlessly transitioned from distant to almost... considerate, playing the role of a boyfriend suprisingly well. It didn't match up with the picture Mortefi had painted earlier. Y/N stared out the window, watching the streetlights flicker across her window as Mortefi drove.

Speaking of, Mortefi had been silent for most of the drive, his usual sarcastic or snide remarks absent, which only made her feel more uneasy. She could sense him trying to gather his thoughts, but the tension gnawed at her, too thick to ignore.

She took a breath, her voice breaking the silence between them. "Mortefi, what just happened? This morning I mean. Your brother - he was so... different. One minute you're warning me about how awful he is, and the next he's—"

Mortefi opened his mouth as if to say something, but she didn't stop. The words tumbled out in a rush, more from confusion than anger. "What I'm trying to say is, how can a person change so drastically after being this image of perfection for hours? Was it an act? He seemed so... normal. Polite. And the second we step outside the house, he's a dick?! I mean, for all his aloofness, I thought we were having an actual moment last night. I was literally thinking to myself that, hey, this arrangement might not be so bad after all."

Her hands waved in the air as she gestured, her thoughts spinning. "And also! Why didn't you anyone tell me this was going to be a recurring thing, the dinner with his parents? And why - how could he be so... different so suddenly? In the car, at dinner, in his room, it was fine..! I just don't get it, did I do something wrong?."

Mortefi's lips twitched as if he wanted to interrupt, but Y/N was still lost in her thoughts, her voice growing softer now. "It's like night and day. I thought I was ready, you know? But this might be way more than I signed up for."

She paused, finally catching her breath. Mortefi glanced at her from the corner of his eye before speaking quietly, "Y/N."

The way he said her name - calm, steady - cut through the haze of her rambling. She blinked, realizing she'd been talking nonstop without letting him get a word in. She glanced at him, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly, but the questions still burned in her mind.

Mortefi kept his gaze on the road, but his tone was soft. "Remember the day we first met?"

Y/N nodded, her earlier frustration ebbing into a quiet reflection. "Yeah, I remember. You've changed the trajectory of my life basically."

"And when I offered you the job?"

She shifted in her seat, her fingers idly playing with the hem of her dress. "Yes. And you know I've always been and will be grateful for that."